Argy58
Bryant & May Ltd, 1923
This eloquently designed 1920s badge promotes the world famous Bryant & May match manufacturing company and celebrates the company’s employee outing to Blackpool in June 1923.
The celebratory text, 'Mr Paton's Day', in all probability pays homage to George Henry Tatham Paton VC MC, who was killed in action, in WW1, on 1st December 1917 at the age of 22. (He was the son of Bryant & May's Deputy Chairman and Managing Director) As acting captain of the 4th Battalion, Grenadier Guards, his bravery was recognised by the award of a posthumous Victoria Cross. The 'Blackpool' destination on the badge indicates that employees from the major Merseyside, Liverpool plant, 'Diamond Matchworks' visited the seaside resort on the 1st June, 1923.
The striking enamel badge composition is based on two crossing matches weaving in and out of the design, with the match heads in beacon like red. Bryant & May's famous ‘Security Arc’ trademark in the middle of the design became a strong visual metaphor for their renowned safety matches.
Francis May and William Bryant formed Bryant & May Ltd in 1861 (although they'd been dealing in the match making business since the 1850s), with a clear focus on making 'safety matches' to counter the match making related disease of white phosphorous exposure, known as 'Phossy jaw'. Their safety match development paid off in the 1860s and advertisements from this era had the copy ‘Patent Safety Matches’ below their new trademark of the ‘Security Arc’. The text read, ‘Bryant & May’s Patent Safety Matches are not poisonous, contain no phosphorus, are without smell, are very damp proof, and not liable to spontaneous combustion’.
The company grew rapidly throughout the late 19th and early 20th Century and outlined below are just some of the key events that shaped the company’s early history:
1888: Braynt & May were the target of the famous and well documented ‘Londonf Match Girls’ strike, an event that inspired changes in working conditions and pay for a predominantly female workforce.
1902: Bryant & May Ltd; largest match manufacturers in Britain.
1903: Acquired the British Diamond Match Company, based in Merseyside, Liverpool
1914: Set out and implemented one of the first staff pension schemes in Britain.
1926: Braynt & May formed a tri-partnership with a British match importer and the Swedish Match Company to form the British Match Corporation.
Bryant & May survived as an independent company for over seventy years, before successive mergers finally saw the company being taken over. Swedish Match currently owns the trademark name Bryant & May, and matches, bearing this famous British name are still being sold today.
Photography, layout and design: Argy58
(This image also exists as a high resolution jpeg and tiff - ideal for a
variety of print sizes e.g. A4, A3, A2 and A1. The current uploaded
format is for screen based viewing only: 72pi)
Bryant & May Ltd, 1923
This eloquently designed 1920s badge promotes the world famous Bryant & May match manufacturing company and celebrates the company’s employee outing to Blackpool in June 1923.
The celebratory text, 'Mr Paton's Day', in all probability pays homage to George Henry Tatham Paton VC MC, who was killed in action, in WW1, on 1st December 1917 at the age of 22. (He was the son of Bryant & May's Deputy Chairman and Managing Director) As acting captain of the 4th Battalion, Grenadier Guards, his bravery was recognised by the award of a posthumous Victoria Cross. The 'Blackpool' destination on the badge indicates that employees from the major Merseyside, Liverpool plant, 'Diamond Matchworks' visited the seaside resort on the 1st June, 1923.
The striking enamel badge composition is based on two crossing matches weaving in and out of the design, with the match heads in beacon like red. Bryant & May's famous ‘Security Arc’ trademark in the middle of the design became a strong visual metaphor for their renowned safety matches.
Francis May and William Bryant formed Bryant & May Ltd in 1861 (although they'd been dealing in the match making business since the 1850s), with a clear focus on making 'safety matches' to counter the match making related disease of white phosphorous exposure, known as 'Phossy jaw'. Their safety match development paid off in the 1860s and advertisements from this era had the copy ‘Patent Safety Matches’ below their new trademark of the ‘Security Arc’. The text read, ‘Bryant & May’s Patent Safety Matches are not poisonous, contain no phosphorus, are without smell, are very damp proof, and not liable to spontaneous combustion’.
The company grew rapidly throughout the late 19th and early 20th Century and outlined below are just some of the key events that shaped the company’s early history:
1888: Braynt & May were the target of the famous and well documented ‘Londonf Match Girls’ strike, an event that inspired changes in working conditions and pay for a predominantly female workforce.
1902: Bryant & May Ltd; largest match manufacturers in Britain.
1903: Acquired the British Diamond Match Company, based in Merseyside, Liverpool
1914: Set out and implemented one of the first staff pension schemes in Britain.
1926: Braynt & May formed a tri-partnership with a British match importer and the Swedish Match Company to form the British Match Corporation.
Bryant & May survived as an independent company for over seventy years, before successive mergers finally saw the company being taken over. Swedish Match currently owns the trademark name Bryant & May, and matches, bearing this famous British name are still being sold today.
Photography, layout and design: Argy58
(This image also exists as a high resolution jpeg and tiff - ideal for a
variety of print sizes e.g. A4, A3, A2 and A1. The current uploaded
format is for screen based viewing only: 72pi)